1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a communications network. More particularly, the invention relates to a modular device and data management system, and a gateway for a communications network.
2. Description of the Background Art
When wireless/cellular phone technology was initially commercialized, cellular phones were simple transmitter/receiver devices, i.e. such devices had no networking capabilities outside of their cellular carrier network and were limited to voice-only communications and SMS text messaging. These cellular phones were hand-held devices, a hands-free option was introduced that required plugging in a wired headphone connection between the phone and an earpiece and microphone. Over time, some new technologies evolved.
Most notably:                Bluetooth Communication Protocol is an open wireless technology for short-range wireless communications with a maximum range of 100 to 200 feet and that enables wireless devices to communicate with each other over short distances: With the introduction of the Bluetooth communication protocol, wireless phones could communicate with other devices over a short range. This advancement in technology created a new market for wireless accessories. The very nature of the protocol eliminated the need for a wired device to establish hands-free operation and wireless peer-to-peer communications, Now, the user could use a cellular phone to communicate with an accessory (or any Bluetooth enabled device) over a personal area network, thus truly making the use of the device hands-free.        WiFi Wireless Local Area Networking set of standards based on the 802.11 2.4 GHz frequency bands with a maximum range of 350 to 800 feet with original data transfer speeds of 5 to 11 megabytes per second (mbps) and newer versions claiming 100 to 200 mbps. The WiFi protocol greatly expanded the use of the Internet by providing WiFi enabled computers and handheld devices to have easy access to the Internet via Wireless Access Points or “Hot Spots” through a router connected to a wired Cable or DSL link to an Internet Service Provider. This made it possible for local coffee shops, bookstores, and businesses to provide free or low cost wireless access to the Internet to anyone with a WiFi enabled device.        Digital Video Cameras and Audio-Video Streaming: With the advent of digital imaging cameras capable of capturing and storing images and videos in a digital format, the next step in the evolution of the video cameras was their ability to stream the video over wireless networks.        
What these devices have in common is a dependency either on another more powerful computing and/or communications device or on the Internet for uploading and sharing data and one-way streaming of captured audio-video feed. Recently, a hands-free wireless video camera telecommunications headset has been invented that represents a new generation of entirely autonomous wearable two-way and multi-feed hands-free wireless communications devices capable of sending and receiving voice, data, and audio-video without the need for a paired external, handheld, wired or wireless computing, networking, or storage device (see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/714,693, filed 1 Mar. 2010, which application is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference thereto).
The hands-free wireless video camera telecommunications headset provides voice, data and audio-video streaming to and from a hands-free wireless mobile device. Further, it provides multiple embodiments of a video camera telecommunications headset with a retractable viewfinder/monocular display and a laser rangefinder offered as either a single unit hands-free wireless real-time bi-directional and multi-feed telecommunications headset or as a modular Bluetooth earpiece headphone (Headphone) unit with a detachable handheld cellular video camera unit, with the earpiece unit serving as either a stand-alone wireless Bluetooth Headphone and personal media player or as a wearable multimedia port for the detachable handheld cellular video camera telephone unit that when linked together operate as a single autonomous hands-free wireless video communications headset capable of still image and audio-video capturing, recording and streaming to and from a receiver or group of receivers and real-time viewing and control of captured and/or received audio-video feeds via the retractable monocular viewfinder or other paired multimedia display system.
Further, such device includes headset accessories including an adjustable docking station for recharging and/or use of the headset as a stationary wired or wireless IP camera, removable/rechargeable earpiece and neckpiece battery units for continuous hands-free wireless mobile headset, headphone and/or other ported device operations and a pair of multimedia sunglasses for active binocular display and eye to camera automation of the headsets optical and digital zoom, day and night vision camera.
Stemming from a need for a ubiquitous peer-to-peer direct networking platform for the telecommunications headset capable of pairing the headset with any existing Wide, Metro or Local, and Personal Area Networked device or group of devices; and supporting real-time multi-feed, multi-channel bi-directional video streaming, mesh networking, and coordinated device operations, including a remote view finder, camera zoom and remote systems control, it became apparent that such a platform did not exist.
Due to an ever increasing number of Bluetooth and WiFi enabled electronic devices, such as digital cameras, media players, and portable video game players, and a myriad of smart phones that operate on increasingly intelligent and incompatible mobile operating systems that are developed by competing technology companies and that are often sold exclusively through individual carrier networks that use proprietary radio frequencies and that are capable of supporting widely varying bandwidth speeds, there is a need for a ubiquitous scalable platform that is capable of installation and operation on, and in coordination with, a diversity of devices networks and operating systems.
Equally apparent was the need for a secure, device-based Mobile Ad-hoc Direct Peer-to-peer Communications Network where each networked device or node acts as an independent router, transmitter, and receiver and connects directly to another device or group of devices without the need for a wired or wireless access point, Wireless Carrier Network, or Internet Service Provider.